A blog where women are inspired and encouraged to grow in their relationship with Christ.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How I Met My Husband


www.marywomantowoman.blogspot.com
I was a young woman, living on my own in a small, sparsely furnished apartment.  For years I had supported myself and paid my way through college by working long hours managing a Fine Jewelry dept in a large department store.

I had previously been in two long-term relationships; neither was healthy or God-pleasing.  I did come to know my Lord and Savior through the first young man, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.

I was very much ‘involved’ with the second man. But from the very beginning, even as a new Christ follower, I knew in my heart that God was not pleased with this unequally-yoked relationship.  And so, in obedience to what I knew He was telling me, I, with a breaking heart, walked away.

For six months I spent every spare minute away from work and school, praying and reading His life-giving, heart-healing word.  It was one of the sweetest times I can remember... sitting on the floor in that little apartment, just me, my Bible, and my Lord.  It was the first time in my life that I experienced... soul deep joy.  How wonderful was that of my loving God?!

www.marywomantowoman.blogspot.com
Oh, but listen to this!  One day, I was at a manager’s meeting and we were introduced to the new jewelry buyer who had just been transferred back to his hometown of Indianapolis.  His name was John. The first things I noticed about John were his ‘kind’ eyes and easy smile. Oh yes, there was potential here!

Over the next few weeks John made several trips out to my store, bringing more and more and more jewelry, until the cases were bursting with gold, watches, and precious stones.  I'm sure I had the most well-stocked store in the district!  Each time he came, we would stand over the diamond case talking about everything... and nothing. {Fortunately, business was slow!}

I was beginning to really like this guy, but was seriously wondering if he was ever going to ask me out! After several weeks, he finally wrestled up enough courage {he was afraid I'd say 'No'!} to ask me out for something to drink after work.  We sat at a restaurant, drinking iced tea until two in the morning.  For hours we talked about our faith, our families; we laughed and talked some more.  And so it began.

He would call every Tuesday night at 10:00 to ask me out for the weekend.  We would usually talk until one in the morning.  Saturday night was date night and would finally end at one or two a.m.  After way too little sleep, I'd  meet him bright and early Sunday morning for church.  It’s amazing how young love requires so little sleep! {I'd never be able to do that now!}
 
www.marywomantowoman.blogspot.com
We spent a year getting to know each other and spending time with our families.  I spent so much time on my knees, asking my Father for clarity and direction.  I didn't want to get it wrong... again.  What God revealed in so many ways, was that John and I were absolutely... right.  Oh yes, he was the one!  He was kind, strong, funny, loving, caring, and most importantly, he had a soul-deep love for the Lord.  We made a covenant with our merciful God on May 1st, 31 years ago. 

As I look back, I see how my loving Father gave me the strength and determination to walk away from those outside of His plan... A plan that graciously brought healing to my heart and John into my life. 
 
John and I have certainly had our highs and lows; we've laughed together,  argued together, cried together, and grieved together. Through God's grace, we're still learning how to love one another well.  But through it all, we've remained committed to each other and determined to protect the covenant we made with our Lord, 31 years ago... from this day forward.  Oh, how I love this man!

I'd love to hear how you met your husband!
Leave a comment!

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Living in His grace, 
Mary

43 comments:

  1. This is so sweet! God is faithful!! My hometown is Indianapolis, too. I miss it, as my parents and other family members still live.

    My hubby and I met in college and I love the way the Lord brought us together. He told me early and often that his intentions were to "be my man" (his exact words). In a nutshell, he told me we absolutely could take things slowly, however, he wanted to be clear: he was looking for his wife. That was music to my ears, because even at our young ages (18 & 19), we both knew we wanted a godly marriage.

    We've been married for almost 12 years (June is our anniversary) and have been blessed with 6 kiddos: 4 here, 1 in the womb, and 1 in Heaven. We've had ups and downs, but mostly what we have is a Savior, which allows us to have a deep and abiding love for one another.

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    1. Oh Stacie, I'm so glad you shared your story. What a sweet testament to God's faithfulness and your man's good taste! Congrats on 12 years of marriage and your beautiful family! Thanks so much for stopping in!
      Blessings to you, your man, and your sweet kiddos ~ Mary

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  2. OH! What a sweet story... I'm struggling with some of the same things you were ( the right guy) 31 years ago! Thanks for the the wise encouragement!

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    1. Cindy, I'm sorry you're struggling with those tough decisions. Keep praying and trusting God for His strength and wisdom to do the 'right' thing. He loves you and has a beautiful plan for you... hang in there!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  3. Hi Mary, I loved reading this story. I think I should put pen to paper and remind myself of the romance in my life. Thanks for linking up and I look forward to seeing you there again next week
    God bless
    Tracy

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    1. Thanks Tracy! I think we all need to stop and 'remember' sometimes! Thanks for stopping by and for hosting 'Winsome Wednesdays'. You do a great job!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  4. This is such a cute story. God is so good.

    I met my husband for the first time in third grade. We were "boyfriend and girlfriend" {whatever that means when you're eight}. After fourth grade, I moved away with my family {Dad was in the military and was being reassigned}. Flash forward about ten years or so, and we moved back to the area and I reconnected with my hubby. Our first date was in Dec 2006. Got engaged Feb 2007, married Aug 2007. Bought a house beginning of Feb 2008, found out we were having a baby in Apr 2008. Baby is born in Dec 2008. Yeah... we moved rather quickly. But, I am confident that he has always been God's best for my life.

    Thanks for sharing this with The Bliss Project!

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    1. Alana, I love this story! So, you first met your husband in third grade?!! That's awesome! It sounds as though God reconnected you, opened the door, you both ran through, and voila!, marriage and a sweet baby! I love to hear how God works so graciously, lovingly, and generously in our lives.
      Thanks for hosting 'The Bliss Project'!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  5. I love this post!! I don't have the time to get into God's hand in how I met my husband.... but it sure brings me to think it would be a great post for Valentines Month!!
    Sweet!

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    1. Thanks Piper! I'd love to hear how you met your husband... I'll look for it at 'Mercy Saved Me'! Thanks for coming by today!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  6. Thanks for sharing your story. It's so good to hear these happy stories of how families are made!

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    1. I agree, Helene! It's always so encouraging to hear how God is working in our lives!
      I'm glad you came by today! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! :)
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  7. I loved hearing your story! I'm glad God gave you the courage to walk away from the unhealthy relationships you had.

    I met my hubby on vacation when visiting my granny. He was the song leader and I noticed his smile right away. Seven months later, we were married.

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    1. Oh Jerralea, I love your story. It sounds like that was some vacation... way to go! It's so good to 'remember'!
      Thanks for stopping and telling your story!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  8. Beautiful story. We don't often here of real life stories like yours. It is a rarity for couples to work through the pitfalls; Your story is a story of God ordained true love. I pray that God will continue to richly bless your covenant with your husband.

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    1. Thank you Victory, for your encouragement and your prayer... both are dear to me. God has been so generous to extend His love-giving grace in our marriage... I am so thankful.
      I always appreciate your comments and encouragement!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  9. Oh what a sweet story!! Maybe someday I'll my story on my blog :-) Thanks for linking up over at WholeHearted Home this week.

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    1. Thanks Judith! I would love to hear your love story!:) Thanks for doing such a great job hosting the link up!
      Blessing to you ~ Mary

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  10. Love these stories. Thanks for leaving your Link at Wednesday's Word.
    Blessings,
    Janis www.janiscox.com

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    1. Janis, I've loved reading these stories too... such a blessing to see how God has worked in our lives! Thanks for hosting at WW!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  11. Thanks for share beautiful story,
    Nan
    www.blogshe.net

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    1. Nan, thank you for coming by and taking time to leave a comment!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  12. What a beautiful God glorifying heart warming story. Thank you so much for linking up with me, I really enjoyed reading it. Have a blessed v day. Tara.

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    1. Thank you, Tara! God has been so good to us! Thanks so much for hosting the link up... I really appreciate it!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  13. God is good to bring "the one" when at times we must sever a previous relationship.
    I was attracted to a neighborhood boy and we thought we were in love, but when he visited my church he made fun and I told him I could never marry him. He refused to take no for an answer and promised to allow me to attend church etc etc, but I had already heard these excuses in a sermon preached by our wise pastor. God moved him out of my life and in came Robert newly born again and signing up for special classes on week nights. My mother and I also attended and mom bless her heart told me to be friendly and sit with him, so I did. Time passed and we dated and married. That was 63 years ago, so he is a keeper.

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    1. Severing those relationships certainly isn't easy, but God is so generous and merciful to bring 'the one' into our lives. I love your story! Your mama was a wise woman to suggest you sit with him.:) God bless you and your husband of 63 years... Happy Valentine's Day! ♥
      Blessings to you and your man ~ Mary

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  14. This is a very sweet and wonderful post. I know how hard it must have been for you to walk away from the unequal yoking, but there's always a better (for us) door to open if we do what we know in our soul is right.

    Happy Valentine's Day! I am visiting today from the Happy Friday Blog Hop.

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    1. Hi Rosey! Yes, it was hard, but to walk in obedience to our Lord was oh, so worth it! I'm so glad you came by via HFBB! Thanks for leaving a comment.
      Happy Valentine's Day to you as well! ♥
      Blessing ~ Mary

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  15. Sweet story. I too have a husband that loves the Lord, soul deep, and I grow more thankful for God's gift of him in my life everyday. I have encountered many women over the years who would love to have a husband who loves God, and my heart often breaks for them. We have been married 17 years, and I hope we have many, many more years of blessing together.

    Congratulations on finding a man of God!

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    1. Amy, I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed you with a man who loves Him. May God give you many more wonderful years to love each other and serve Him to His glory. I'm so glad you came by and shared a little of your story!
      Blessings to you and your guy ~ Mary

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  16. Hi, Mary! I found your post over at the "Happy Friday" Blog Hop. I love hearing stories like yours! (Guess I'm just a romantic at heart.) Anyways, I have 2 different blogs. I post about living in my lake cottage at "http://cairncottage.blogspot.com/" and share about my faith at "http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/" You can read about how I met my hubby at "http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-i-met-your-father.html". Thanks for sharing!!
    Blessings, Ann

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    1. Hi Ann! I love hearing these wonderful stories too! I'm so glad you came by, and I look forward to reading about how you met your guy. I'm on my way over!
      Blessing to you ~ Mary

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  17. Such a wonderful post. I love to hear how people met and that they've lasted! Very encouraging and inspirational for a (relatively) newly wed. Thank you for sharing this story

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    1. Thank you, Ruth! I'm always encouraged to hear how God is working in marriages... He is so faithful to help us work out the kinks! Congratulations on being a (relatively) newly wed.
      May God bless you and your husband! ~ Mary

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  18. What a sweet story! And how so true that young love needs no sleep!
    Looking back wondering how I managed 4 hours of sleep between dating my husband, work and college. Now coffee couldn't even help me with only 4 hours of sleep.

    Stephanie

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    1. Hi Stephanie! Your comment made me laugh! What happened to us?! I need my eight hours or I'm useless! Aaw, young love!:)
      Thanks for coming by and making me smile!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  19. Yes, young love needs such little sleep! It's funny because my hubby did the same thing; calling at the same time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then we'd go out on the weekend. He didn't even realize he was spacing out his calls that way. After a couple weeks though, we began talking daily. And I met my hubby through his momma! She called him one day and said, "I just met your wife." And then she pestered him nonstop until he'd agree to call me :).

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    1. I love this story, Fawn! I bet you looked forward to those weekend dates! So, your hubby's momma got you together?! She sounds like a wise {and persistent} woman!
      Thanks so much for coming by and sharing!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  20. What a sweet story. I love hearing how the Lord brings people together... I love that you asked people to share; these comments have been great! My (future) husband's best friend was dating my best friend and we were all at our separate colleges. They decided that the two of us just had to meet... so they brought him by my house. 2 months later we were engaged. When you follow the Lord's leading GREAT things happen. 16 years later we are still following the Lord's leading and it's crazy the places he has taken us.
    Blessings to you ...
    PS. I came by from Doing You Well Wednesday. Clicked to follow! xoxo
    http://www.bles-id.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Julia! This is such a wonderful story! Yay for best friends... they obviously knew what they were doing! I'm so glad you stopped by and shared!!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  21. What a beautiful story! I love hearing how couples came together.
    My hubby and I met when I was a single mom with 2 kids in tow...all I can say is that it was ALL 100% God's grace. I am so thankful that the Lord brought us together (if you want the whole story feel free to check out my Valentine's blog from last week http://www.thelearningcurveparent.blogspot.ca/2013/02/boy-meets-girl.html)

    It was so nice for you to allow us to share our stories & hope you guys had a great Valentine's yourselves :)

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    1. Hi Rach! I love these stories too! It's just so wonderful to hear how our Lord brought these couple together. I look forward to checking out your story. I'm on my way over!
      Blessings to you and your family ~ Mary

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  22. My name is Joy Lopes, I never thought I will smile again, My husband left me with two kids for one year, All effort to bring him back failed I thought I'm not going to see him again not until I met a lady called Jesse who told me about a spell caster called Dr. UDA, She gave me his email address and mobile number and I contacted him and he assured me that within 48 hours my husband will come back to me, In less than 48 hours my husband came back started begging for forgiveness saying it is the devils work, so I'm still surprise till now about this miracle,i couldn't conceive but as soon as the spell was cast,i became pregnant and gave birth to my third child(Taylor) if you need any assistance from him you can contact him via Email: udaspellhome@hotmail.com

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Your comments mean so much to me. I love reading each and every one! Thanks so much!